The Dog Days Are Over
by Inkaugneato
Summary: When Naruto and Sasuke are separated from the rest of the team they are attacked, one is injured, and now they must keep on the run and the hide-out. They have no idea who their pursuers are, what they're after, and where to find their team.
1. Pro: The Most Wonderful Day of the Year

Prologue:

The Most Wonderful Day of the Year

_"When Christmas day is here... The most wonderful day of the year!" _

Naruto rolled over, rolled over once again, and then slammed his fist down on the radio that was now spouting out loud, obnoxious Christmas music. He couldn't stand Christmas music, it made him physically sick.

Unfortunately, he hadn't managed to smash the thing enough to shut it up, and it continued on.

_"How'd you like to be a spotted elephant?"_

"No..." he grumbled.

_"Or a chu-chu with square wheels on your caboose?"_

"NO."

_"Or a water-pistol that shoots...jelly?"_

"No, no, no!" he protested.

_"We're all misfits!"_

"Somebody shut it off!" he cried, reaching over to smash it once more.

He was displeased to find that the sheets were somehow shoved at the foot of his bed. It was probably due to the nightmare he'd had, and in the midst, had rolled around a lot. He was shivering from the cold morning air that had leaked through the windows and was now freezing his bedroom.

_"If we're on the island of unwanted toys we'll miss all the fun with the girls and the boys."_

Naruto had pushed himself up at this point, giving himself more swing to smash his hand down on the thing. He knew there was an off button, but from previous bashing earlier in the week, it'd stopped working. Now every morning the thing was set to go off at the same time. He knew his method would eventually lead to him smashing the thing to pieces, but he hadn't expected it to be taking so long.

Even though he'd grown old, he still retained some youth and strength in him. Sakura had commented that they weren't _that _old yet. Despite her comments, though, Naruto was at the point where he felt he was slowly loosing his life. He'd had this feeling before, back when he went on all those missions and had his life put in danger most of time. Yet this was old age: slow, so much like it were being sucked and pulled from him by a tiny thread that was growing larger. And he knew this was a kind of death you couldn't escape from.

_"When Christmas day is here... the most wonderful-"_

WHAM.

_"Wonderful-"_

SMASH.

_"Wonderful-"_

SLAM.

_"Wonderful-"_

BASH.

_"Wonderful-"_

CRASH.

"Finally," Naruto murmured.

"THE MOST WONDERFUL DAY OF THE YEAR!" Ino cried, crashing into the bedroom.

Naruto cried out and scrambled over to the edge of the bed to grab the sheets and pull them over his naked body.

"Oh god, Naruto, why don't you ever wear clothes to bed!" Ino grumbled, covering her eyes. "That was NOT what I wanted to see."

Naruto snickered. "Not the most wonderful day of year anymore, is it?"

"Yes, it is," Ino persisted, facing the wall as Naruto slid on some boxers and then a pear of jeans that were lying on his dresser.

"What are you doing here even?" Naruto asked, walking out of the bedroom. Ino followed him, looking at the random scars that littered his back.

"I came to help you put up Christmas decorations! The day is almost upon you and you haven't even started yet. Tsk, tsk, Naruto, I'm so disappointed in you."

Naruto grimaced. "What! It's like two weeks after Thanksgiving! You know I don't like-"

Suddenly Little Sasuke came running into the room excitedly. He had a strong resemblance in his features to Sasuke Uchiha; the pale skin, black cockatoo hair, but his eyes were a light hazel color. Yet he wasn't an Uchiha, he just had a strong resemblance to one.

"Daddy!" Sasuke Jr. called, running and jumping into Naruto's arms. Naruto lifted him up, throwing him into the air and catching him again. He gave him a big hug, and kept him in his arms as Sasuke Jr. smiled at him with wild eyes.

"I know you don't, but he does," Ino said, walking over to a box full of Christmas lights.

"Daddy, Daddy, Ino said we're gonna decorate for Christmas now, she even got us a Christmas tree. Come see it, come on, come on," he said persistently, tugging on Naruto's shirt vigorously. He would probably be dragging him if it weren't for the fact that Naruto was carrying him.

"Alright, you little bugger, let's go see this tree," Naruto said, rolling his eyes as he set Sasuke Jr. down. The young boy went racing off and Naruto followed behind, a little too leisurely for his son, though. The boy was racing around him in circles, jumping, and making frantic gestures for Naruto to hurry. As if the Christmas tree was going to get up and walk away before Naruto got there.

Sasuke Jr., (also dubbed Sasu when Naruto was too lazy to call him Little Sasuke, Sasuke Jr., son, or any of his other little names) was not Naruto's actual son. When he and Ino had gone out on a hiking trip a long time ago (after the missions had stopped for Naruto) they'd come across a wrecked wood cabin, and inside, a baby. They at first thought that the parents were only out momentarily and were coming back, but also thought it strange that they'd leave the baby in such a damaged place. They waited two days before anyone showed up, taking care of the baby in the meantime. It was then they decided that the baby had either been abandoned or that the parents were dead. When they finally did a thorough searched of the house for anything or anyone else, their questions were confirmed upon finding the pregnant mother in a back closet, dead.

It was disgusting, and Ino went running from the house to go puke. Naruto properly buried her after deciding that she'd died of starvation, and fairly recent, too. He wondered where the father was, if there was a father, and if he was a cause of her death. It made him angry, and he took his anger out on the dirt, digging furiously into the earth. When that was done, they took the baby with them. Naruto was thankful that they'd been able to save it.

While heading back for a city, Ino got so attached to it, claiming how it looked so much like Sasuke. Naruto always wondered how Ino had known what Sasuke had looked like when he was a baby, but never asked. Naruto also didn't realize how attached he was to it until they got to the orphanage.

It wasn't that the orphanage was bad; it was just the idea of not being with the baby anymore, having to leave it behind that made Naruto feel a stab of pain. Ino seemed to be having a hard time, too, and was about to burst into tears when they'd headed away. He thought about the fact that someone had already left this baby once, and that it didn't need to be deserted again. In a rush, Naruto had gone racing back, declaring to the person in charge that he was adopting the baby. He didn't care if he'd never taken care of a baby before; he knew he couldn't be without it. It was as if he'd found a purpose for his life again. After a serious injury he couldn't perform the higher ranked missions anymore. Even hiking had given him some problems, but he was determined not to waste his life away.

Yet also, saving this baby felt like a second chance, made him feel like it was all worth the while. He wouldn't have ever guessed how hard it was going to be to raise a child, even with Ino's warnings. Yet, she and Sakura had kindly offered to help- both chattering away, awing and cooing. It was kind of weird, Naruto thought, as he observed. Sometimes he felt like they were Sasu's parents, and then he'd get angry and force them out of the house, telling them he would take care of Sasu himself.

He was very thankful to them, though, even if he didn't tell them all the time. They'd really supported him, and Sasu adored them. He supposed they were the mothers he would never have.

"Where's Sakura?" Naruto asked, after coming back with a glass of orange juice he'd obtained from the kitchen. Sasu was untangling lights, singing the song that'd come on earlier. Naruto decided to push his irritation to the back of his mind. As much as he disliked Christmas, he wasn't going to ruin it for his son. Not in a million years. If Sasu wanted to believe in Santa Claus, Naruto wouldn't let him down; if Sasu wanted to decorate and hang up lights, and blast Christmas music, Naruto would let him and give no complaints- at least, none out loud.

At times he felt he loved his son too much that it was overwhelming. He couldn't help but feel so much pride, so much love swell within him that it made him dizzy, like he was going to pass out.

Right now was one of those points. Naruto had to sit himself down and take a large gulp of orange juice.

It was exactly everything about Christmas that made him angry, or made him dislike it. It was the fact that it brought bad memories with it, and he'd lost some faith in it. Funny how one incident can ruin one day for the rest of your life. He wished so much that he could just forget and let go of everything, to actually enjoy Christmas, and he'd tried. For Sasu's sake, for his own sake, he'd tried every year. The memories were so strong, though. Each year around this time the nightmares started up and struck him so hard. He'd wake up in pain, clutching at his injury, shaking, and sobbing.

Usually Sasu slept through these incidences, but there'd been a couple of times he'd woken up, coming in to ask his daddy what was wrong. Naruto had to explain to Sasu that just like him, he also got nightmares. To which his son would reply that he'd sleep with daddy and keep him safe from the nightmares.

It was in those moments that Naruto really realized how much better his life had become since he'd adopted Sasu. He never ever regretted adopting him, even through the tough times. Having no parents of his own, and being treated like a monster, had made his childhood such a hard and sad thing to struggle through. Of course Sasu would have his own difficulties to work through, but Naruto always wanted him to know that he would be there to help him for as long as he could, and that he would always be proud of him.

Sasu would grow up into Sasuke, though, and go out into society. Then what Naruto do? He wasn't going to try and think that far ahead, so he decided to finish his orange juice and then help Sasu wrap the lights around the tree.

It was kind of tradition for them to take pictures of the step-by-step process. First they'd take a picture of the tree all bare and green, and then Ino would snap pictures of them stringing the lights on, then of the tree with lights on them. After that they'd struggle to set the camera up so that they could time it and take a picture of all three or four of them by the tree, then of just Naruto and Sasu. It was three when Sakura wasn't there, because she was usually very busy with being a medical ninja and all, but four when she found the spare time. Every time they added something they'd take a picture, sometimes just of the tree, sometimes with people in the picture. So at the end they'd have a collection of the time spent. Really, by the end, it was so long that they'd be exhausted. Ino would make them all hot chocolate, marshmallows included, and they'd play a game.

This time, Sakura was able to come over, and so they played countless card games until it was late and Sasu was falling asleep against Naruto.

"Time for bed," Naruto declared, scooping his exhausted son up into his arms.

"I'm not sleepy..." Sasu protested.

It was kind of reversed, because when Sasu was tired, he would say he wasn't, and when he wasn't tired, he would say he was. Either way, it wasn't that hard to get him to go to bed anymore. Younger years it'd been somewhat difficult, but now Sasu seemed to love sleep as much as Naruto did. Both of them would sleep until noon when given the chance.

Naruto slid back the covers and then laid Sasu down. He pulled the covers up over him, tucking him in, and then planted a kiss on his forehead.

"Goodnight Sasu."

"Goodnight," Sasu replied, smiling.

Naruto smiled down at him for a moment more, then turned to walk out. He paused at the door, reaching to turn off the light.

"I love you, son."

"I love you, daddy."

Naruto flicked off the light, and headed back out into the living room. He saw Ino and Sakura murmuring to one another, close to one another. He eyed them suspiciously, and they stopped murmuring once he'd gotten closer to them.

"What are you two talking about?" he grumbled.

"Nothing," Ino said quickly. Sakura flashed him a grin. "Well, we're going now," Ino added.

"See you another time, Naruto," Sakura said. She looked like she was going to say something else, but then decided against it. She turned, tugging on Ino, and both walked to the door.

"Bye..." Naruto said, waving to them.

When they'd left, he looked over at the Christmas tree, bright and glowing. The ornaments sparkled, and shone in the greens and reds. He unplugged it, making sure to turn off all the lights, all but a small one in the hallway, and made his way to bed.

Although he was tired, it took him a while to fall asleep. His thoughts filled his head, taking up so much space like balloons. Although Christmas was hard for him, slowly it was getting better. With Sasu's help, Ino's, and Sakura's as well, Naruto knew he would eventually be completely healed, and wouldn't hate the holiday anymore. He was sure of it, but it wasn't time right now. He still needed more space, more adjustment, still needed more courage to face his fears.

Pretty soon his thoughts had wandered off somewhere else, and he was being lulled to sleep. He couldn't really even remember what he was thinking about anymore. He was just tired, and wanted to sleep. He wanted to sleep so he could wake up to another day. Another day with Sasu… He didn't think he could ask for more than that.

* * *

Moi: This is really just a kind of prologue/after kind of thingy. This is Naruto in the future when he's all old, lol, well, not too old. The next chapter will go back to him when he was in Team 7. Anyway, hope you liked it! : D


	2. Chapter 2: The Cave

**Author's Note: **I know I took so long to type chapter two and to top it all off it's such a crappy chapter! But don't worry, I have a plan and it's heading somewhere. I just need to get further into the story. (This story was written in the time of Team 7, before Sasuke leaves Konoha, and it takes place in a slightly alternate story universe.)

**POV: **Naruto

**Pairing:** SasuNaru

**Chapter Rating:** PG-13 (Language, minor violence)

**Disclaimer: **I totally DO own all these characters... in my head. Unfortunately, Kishimoto-sensei owns Naruto in and out of his head.

**Song: **"The Cave" - Mumford & Sons**  
**

* * *

But I will hold on hope, and I won't let you choke on the noose around your neck.  
And I'll find strength in pain, and I will change my ways.  
I'll know my name as it's called again.

* * *

Chapter One: The Cave

Have you ever run carrying a body? Somehow when you carry a person they start sliding down further and further. What's the point in carrying them in the first place if they're just going to slide right off your fucking back? To top it all off the body's not even conscious. It's limp and dangling off you like some worn suction cup. Every second you're hoisting them back up, telling yourself you can do this, you'll make it. This is no big deal. You're almost there. Don't. give. up.

I grit my teeth. I was leaping from tree to tree, my clothes soaking wet. His clothes wet and dripping blood. Ever since we'd started this mission everything had gone wrong. I would love to complain about it all, really, but now wasn't the time to.

We needed to get away from the people chasing us; I needed to find a safe place to hide. I needed to bandage my luggage up so he wouldn't bleed to death. Needed new clothes, dry clothes, so we wouldn't freeze or get sick. I guess I really didn't understand how needy people were, but I suppose that it was true. I don't think it was our faults, though, that we weren't born with fur to protect us from the cold. Or our fault that our skin was made to break and bleed.

Right now was one of those moments where you're waiting for some sort of miracle or exit, but you really don't think it'll ever come. I told myself to stay away from those thoughts, that they weren't good for me. I'd been there before and I didn't want to go back again. I _would _find shelter and safely. We would be safe. He would, if anything.

Leap one.

Leap two.

I took a pushed pace. Not one that would thoroughly exhaust me. I still had a body to carry, after all. But the pace wasn't slow enough to get caught by our pursuers. That was the last thing I needed.

It didn't look like they were gaining, though, so it made me wonder if they weren't able to keep up, or they weren't really trying. And if they weren't really trying, did that mean they didn't particularly care, or did they have something up their sleeve?

I was trying to figure all this shit out when the branch beneath my foot started giving way. I was lucky enough to spring off of it onto a sturdier one, but a few behind me who decided to use it as a perch didn't have the same luck. It snapped so quickly that the next thing they knew they were on the ground. I hoped that would slow some of them down.

Leap three.

Leap four.

My breaths were shaking now, the air seemingly getting stuck in my throat. My heart was pumping so fast I thought it might pop or something. That or say, "Fuck you," and just give up on me. I probably wasn't the nicest person to my heart, and so it would be understandable if it didn't want to deal with me anymore. I sometimes wondered why and how it was even still around, but I was glad it was.

Maybe one day it would go and leave me emotionless. What would I do then? Use the kyuubi's as a replacement? Not that the kyuubi, in a million years, would ever let me. It was probably too full of hate to even use anyway.

I focused on looking for an escape, a way to trick them and get out of their view so I'd have a change to hide and rest for a while.

When a second branch gave way to the weight of two bodies slamming down on it, I wasn't so lucky. Suddenly I was falling and I kept falling. I kept waiting to slam down on the ground. Hell, I even had my eyes closed waiting for the impact. When I opened them, though, it was dark.

That was when I hit the ground. I gave out some sort of gagging sound as my legs buckled and I crashed, face first, onto the ground. The unconscious body, Sasuke's body, was like a heavy sack of potatoes squishing me into the dirt. I flopped my arms out and managed to push myself up, feeling his body slide off me. I was ready to attack, crouching there. I was sure they would be here in the next instant; ready to kill me or do whatever they were going to do.

But no one came.

And we were alone.

I was tense for probably the next half hour, very still and listening. Wondering if they were waiting for me to climb out of the hole. When I finally did relax, my whole body was aching. Aching from being in the same position for so long. Aching from slamming on the ground after the fall. Aching from running and carrying Sasuke, and aching from everything else before that. I was hungry and ramen sounded really good.

I looked over at Sasuke and immediately began checking the wound. The gash wasn't very long, but it was a bit deeper than I liked. I took off my t-shirt and began ripping it up to wrap around the wound. It was summer so the nights didn't get too cold around here. I would survive without all of my t-shirt. As well as it was wet anyway and wasn't doing me much use.

I didn't know if the injury would leave a scar or not, but I hoped it wouldn't. It lay vertically on his upper arm, near the shoulder. Any higher and it could have possibly gotten his collarbone or neck. Any further over and there would have been no wound at all. The other way and it would have been his chest. I was just relieved to find that it wasn't fatal, unless it got infected, but I would try my best to keep that from happening.

I was kind of angry, too. A lot of things with this mission had gone horribly wrong. I wrung out my t-shirt with some anger, twisting at it violently. I slipped it back on, lost in thought.

Our job had been to deliver a treaty from the Land of Honey to the Land of Keys. They'd been fighting for some time now, but when the Land of Honey got a new ruler (the previous one dying of sickness), he was able to negotiate a truce between the two. The deal was done, but the document needed to be delivered, signed, and returned. The Land of Honey did not have the proper military to do this safely, so they had to rely on ninja from Konoha. Unfortunately, most of the higher ups were busy dealing with other missions and such, and so Team 7 was next choice. I'd had been excited for this, happy to get more action. Now I was regretting the excitement. It hadn't been as easy as I thought it was going to be. I thought that taking a document from one place to another, for a treaty of all things, would be easy.

Yet some people of each village didn't want this new treaty, and so they'd struck out in rebellion. Although the people of Keys and the people of Honey weren't working together (yet), they were still working towards the same goal. Stoping the peace treaty. It'd been pretty violent, especially since the people of the Keys were known for espionage. Not much was known about the people of the Land of Honey. Yet it was told that some people had even led attacks against their new leader.

Apparently with the new treaty, there was some assurance that all violence will stop. And that wasn't what everyone wanted.

I didn't understand why they didn't want the fighting to stop, but it wasn't my mission to understand, was it? Kakashi told me to just forget about it and finish our job, but it was irritating me. Sasuke, of course, had said the same thing, and Sakura had been quick to agree with him. Why did it seem they were always against me? I mean, I knew we were supposed to just deliver the treaty from one to another and return it safely. It was for peace, and wasn't peace supposed to be a good thing?

Then why did I feel so bad? Why did people who didn't even belong to either the Land of Honey or the Land of Keys attack us? They had nothing to do with it.

It was all confusing me, so I pushed it away and focused on getting Sasuke propped up against a wall. Being so close to him, I could feel his low breathing filter onto my face between parted lips. I stared at him for a moment, as if I was trying to decode a puzzle, and then turned to explore the rest of the place we'd fallen into.

The hole itself was about three or four feet wide near the base, but up at the top it looked so much smaller. I used my fingers to touch the wall and follow along it. I reached up towards the top, and when I jumped I could feel it brush against my fingers. The dust on the ceiling sighed, and it filled my nose with this itchy feeling. I sneezed, coughing a bit, then went on with my examination.

It was too dark to really see anything. I could only see part of Sasuke, who was being illuminated by light creeping down the hole. The more I moved to the left, the further away he was, and the harder it was to see him. Just before he completely disappeared from the glances over my shoulder, I met a turn in the wall. My fingers slipped into a crack where two intersecting walls met. I let my arm stretch out and go before me. Stepping I followed this second wall.

It didn't seem strange to my until I met the third intersecting wall that I realized this underground place was rectangular, like a room. Normally it wouldn't be so straight or lined if it'd been naturally formed. It made me believe that somebody had been here before.

The forth wall, the one Sasuke was leaning against further down, was smoother than the rest. At one point the surface became so smooth it racked me with chills. Suddenly my foot caught on an upturned rock and I fell forward. Clumsily, I reached out. My hands and arms sailed forward and met no wall, but my face and chest slammed into it. I let out a large grunt, sliding down the wall until I was on the ground, rubbing my face.

I heard Sasuke shift and looked up to see if he'd awaken, but he made no other movement. "Shit..." My face really hurt, and my chest felt bruised. I was glad Sasuke hadn't been awake to see that, it would have been embarrassing.

I collected myself and crawled back over to that part of the wall. I slowly extended my hand, expecting it to connect, but it went through. Exploring it with my hands, I realized there was a small entrance at the bottom of the wall. It was too dark to see how far back it went, or where it led to, but some part of me was very curious.

I shuffled over to Sasuke to check up on him, pressing my hand on his forehead to check for a fever. He was still out cold, but he didn't feel too warm. I needed to find a way out of here and get Sasuke help. That entrance could be my only chance. I figured if it went on too long, or there were any splits in direction, I would turn back and come into this room and wait for Sasuke to wake up. Although it wasn't much of a plan, and it was kind of dangerous, I could take it slow, reach out in front of me to check for any openings in the ground that I might fall down.

Yeah, it'd be great if it led out. I would show that Sasuke just how capable I was. I grinned to the darkness and headed back alongside of the wall to find the entrance one more.

Hunching down, because I didn't know how small it was going to be, I kind of shuffled myself in. I used my elbows and feet to push and drag myself. I was already tired by the time I'd gotten my whole body in. I reached up and decided it was high enough that I could crawl, but I would need to keep my head low. Wouldn't want to get knocked upside the head. I didn't need to be knocked out or injured and then stuck in this hole until I woke back up.

It then occurred to me that the space wasn't wide enough to turn around, so the only way to get out was to go backwards. I wasn't too found of this, but I'd already started so there was no point in turning back now.

My little adventure led me to a dead end about ten minutes later. I felt I'd been crawling for so long, and my body ached. I reached around, floor to ceiling, but this was my stop. I couldn't any further. I sighed in defeat, my excitement deflating. Hoisting myself up, I began the trip backwards. To say the least, it wasn't pretty. If there'd been light, I probably would have looked like some orange worm wiggling its way in some desperate scramble to get out. The trip back was at least twenty minutes, if not longer, and when I pulled my head out, I was covered in dust and cobwebs.

My lungs took in fresher air in the larger area. Shaking and dusting myself off, I looked over towards the pool of light that attacked my eyes strongly. I had to squint, not realizing how much you get used to pitch darkness when you're in it for so long. When I was familiar again with the light, my heart nearly crushed my rib cage.

"Fuck. Sasuke?" My voice came out hoarse, and I coughed, trying to remove the dust from it. Even though I wanted- my body wanted- to lie down and rest, my mind was panicked. I stumbled over towards the light.

"Sasuke!"

Sasuke wasn't there.

Nothing was there.

And I was alone.


	3. Chapter 3: Sleep

******Edit: **I edited this... there were a lot of mistakes, and I forgot to give the girl a name! I feel so stupid, lol. I didn't have internet when I wrote it, so I was going to go back in later and add a name and I didn't. So yah, the girl's name that was with Naruto is Sato Haruka (last name, first name).

**Author's Note: **I feel awful, really, about not posting something for two months! I was going to get around to it, but other things were busy and wrapping up, and before I knew it! it was June. Tomorrow's my birthday as well, so think of this as an early birthday present. I plan on writing another chapter this month, too. Things are finally getting somewhere. Sorry it's starting out so slow, in my opinion. It's just I type, get distracted, then realize that there's still so much I have to get to and through.

(This story was written in the time of Team 7, before Sasuke leaves Konoha, and it takes place in a slightly alternate story universe.)

**POV: **Naruto (Unless said otherwise)

**Pairing:** SasuNaru

**Chapter Rating:** PG-13 (Language, minor violence)

**Disclaimer: **I totally DO own all these characters... in my head. Unfortunately, Kishimoto-sensei owns Naruto in and out of his head.

**Song: **"Sleep" - Phish**  
**

* * *

I wake up with a vision blurred  
And all my efforts are deterred  
To reconstruct this image lost

They're certain things my mind won't do  
And even though they're very few  
The image glistens like a gem  
Repairing is not one of them

* * *

Chapter Two: Sleep

I spent the night down in the cave, filling my lungs with dust and dirt. It made my throat. Now that I thought about it, weren't caves usually wet, and not dry? I usually got this musty feeling whenever I was in one, but now I just felt incredibly dry. My throat was raw and my voice sounded like a toad's when I woke up. Well, not really...but close enough. I needed something to drink. If I stayed down here too long I'd be too weak to even try getting out.

Along with all that, my neck and back were kind of sore, and my arm was of no more use to me. It was dead. Using your arm as a pillow is not the best idea, but I thought it'd be better than the ground.

I pinched at the skin on my upper arm. Your arms a least were a bit squishy and floppy with all that skin and stuff.

I slowly rolled myself up off the ground and took a few trudges around in a circle to get feeling back into my feet.

Then I tripped.

"Or maybe just get used to my feet again..." I muttered, rubbing at the back of my head. Some dirt crumpled and fell from my hair. How I wished I had some water at the moment. My tan skin was growing darker the more time I spent in the cave. There was a find coat of night dust on me, giving me a new layer...a new look.

As I ran my hands down my arms I could feel the dust getting caught in the creases of my fingers, getting mixed up under my finger nails, or thrown down to the floor. If this was how much progress I was making with my arms, then I gave up on the idea of dusting off my clothing. It was take forever, and the dust was probably glued to the fabric by now.

Letting out a cough that turned into a weak hacking, I kind of wished for a moment I had something to wipe my face off with. Get all the dust away from where I breathed. Right now would be a perfect time for it to rain. I could catch some of the rain that fell down through the hole. It didn't rain, though, to my disappointment. I grimaced and let out a long sigh, walking towards the morning light that swam down the hole. I was glad that the hole hadn't been covered by something yet. I liked the light that I received, no matter how small it was.

I looked over at that spot where Sasuke had been, somehow hoping he'd be there. I was worried about him, I admitted. Can't say how shaken up I'd been to see him missing. Shit... it sucked. As much as he angered me at times, he was my teammate, my friend. And the last I'd seen him he was injured. It drove me crazy with all the questions I had running through my head. His well-being, his kidnappers- were they good or bad, was he good or bad? How could I have just left him there? Where in the world did he go? How did he go? Wasn't he unconscious when I went into the hole? Why the hell did he choose to wake up when I wasn't there? And if he didn't wake up, it must have been someone else taking him, right? And then there was the possibility of him waking up and getting out himself, but how would he have done that? There were only two exits, and one was a dead end. Plus, if he'd gone in there I would have run into him...right?

I walked over to the hole above my head, more like scampered over, my body full of worry. I glanced straight into the light that seemed to overflow the hole. I stretched out my arms, reaching my hands. The ceiling was barely within my reach, and if I gave a little jump I could brush my fingers on the cool and rough surface. Some of the dirt let loose and misted down on my face. I resisted the urge to sneeze and looked up again.

I didn't think. I just jumped.

My fingers clawed, slid, gripped. I couldn't get much of a grip; I kind of hung for a moment. I could have used chakra, but I was low. I was still weak. Sleeping helped, but it'd been bad sleep. And if I used what chakra I had to get out, then ran into somebody (bad), I wouldn't stand a chance.

Suddenly there was a shadow over the hole and I stepped back, wondering if it was a somebody or a something. Was it looking down? Could it be Sasuke?

I kind of gave up on that idea when they didn't say anything, and I took that moment to push my feet in reverse and locate the other hole. I was speeding up with my own heartbeat, my hands were running along the wall faster than my feet were trying to. I found the space, and slid in. More like dove in feet first, throwing up dust. I shuffled backwards, palms pressing me back, my feet digging, pushing me back, back, back. I was on my stomach, my breath choking me, and then I heard a thump. I'd hidden my presence... I knew the person was here, in this cave. The only thing I didn't know is if they knew I was in the cave.

_Sasuke's POV_

I was upside down. My eyes seemed to want to flip the images, make them make more sense. I let myself hang there, every muscle relaxed as if I were still asleep. Or, at least, to give them the false impression that I still was.

The sky I saw was bright and blue, almost the familiar blue of a certain someone. It had its small spots of clouds, but for the most part was clear. The ground off to the side was dark, but the grass was a pale green going on yellow. It looked sparse, as if it were dying. The ground beneath us was plain dirt, and I figured it to be a road or path. Little dust sprays tickled my arms. They were flopped over, dangling towards the ground. The position was uncomfortable, but I held it and let my body lay there.

We were on horseback. The _clip _and _clop_ on the hooves, the occasional grunt, the unevenness on each step were recognizable. With every shift of its stomach, or lean in its step rocked and swayed me. Occasionally the presence beside me would sniff or clear their throat. The tone was higher, and I guess it was a female. She was to my left, I could feel her arms above me on the reins. From the _clap _of the reins, I could hear off patterns of hooves, realizing there were more than just this horse. But how many, I couldn't tell. Somehow my chakra was being restricted, but I wouldn't push agains the barriers. They would know I was awake.

I was tired, too. Not in the exhausted way, but sore tired. I didn't know how long I'd been on this horse, but the position I was in was awkward. I knew when I got out of it, it wasn't going to feel so great. It was already taking a lot of restraint not to move out of it now. Being unconscious was sounding a lot nicer to me.

I wondered if they'd drugged me, or just assumed I wouldn't wake up. It was hard to recall what exactly had happened, but I feel I'd been sleeping for quite some time. My head hurt as I pushed through my mind for memories. And in my mind I saw a piece of steel on the path. It was what Kakashi and I had been examining before we'd been attacked...ambushed? Sakura was yelling something to me next, and then I briefly felt myself falling. I was absorbed by the water. Unfortunately, my memories stopped with something orange in my vision. Wouldn't take much to guess who that was.

Speaking of him, had he fallen in like I had? And come to think of it, where was he? I wondered if they had him on a different horse or if he'd been taken elsewhere by the currents. With his luck, he was probably lost. I couldn't really say anything negative with my own predicament, though. I didn't know which situation was better off. Probably his. He'd be able to run into Kakashi and Sakura if he just back tracked.

I wouldn't admit, ever, to worrying about him. I would die first, which wasn't really an option. There was someone I had to kill first. But damn, why in the world was I thinking about Naruto so much? He and my brother were usually at the top of the list of problems in my mind. It was very annoying, but at the same time, thinking of Naruto was somehow comforting. Maybe it was that obnoxious, orange suit, bright blonde hair, and blue, blue eyes. They were so distracting, so freaking bright at times. Just looking at him made your skin burn up, either with annoyance, or like staring at someone wearing winter clothes on a hot day in the middle of summer. Very uncomfortable, very irritating.

There was that saying in the school, though, that bright objects were hypnotizing... That just seemed to fit Naruto... I didn't even want to think about it any further. I had to hold back a sigh of anger when I realized I was still in the company of the strangers. I was still alive. Which was a good thing. They could have done away with me when I was out, or they could be waiting until I woke up to get information from me and then kill me.

I wondered how long exactly I could feign sleep.

_Naruto's POV_

"Hello." My breath stiffened, then seemed to evaporate straight from my throat. _How in the world...? _

"I know you're here. Don't worry. Here, listen, I'm setting my stuff down by the light. No weapons, I'm clean. You hear, yes? And now I'm walking away from them."

I could hear their footsteps stop outside of the hole I was in, maybe five feet or more away.

"I'm going to sit down, and I want you to come out. I'm not going to hurt you."

I didn't move.

"Do you want me to lay down? I could put my hands in the air if it would make you feel better. I don't want to hurt you. I won't, I promise."

My curiosity got the better of me. If this person really was good, that means they could help me get out of here.

"What is your name?" I tried to sound angry, strong. It was kind of hard when your voice was raspy with dust, but I wanted to pose some sort of danger, in case they were lying to me.

"I am Sato Haruka, from the Land of Keys."

She didn't shift or move, so I pulled myself out at a slow pace. I tried to be as graceful as I could for a boy shuffling out of a hole on his stomach. Unfortunately, I ended up being as klutzy as ever and fell, flat-facing the ground.

I heard her giggle slightly, but then stop, not wanting to make me feel bad, I suppose, or just trying to be polite. I blushed furiously, grinning like an idiot as I pulled myself up. I sat in front of her, barely making out her figure by the faint light, and rubbed the back of my head with my hand. It was a habit I'd picked up when I'd done something embarrassing.

"I'm Uzamaki. Uzamaki Naruto, and I'm gonna be the Hokage one day!" I gave a big thumbs up, but then laughed a bit nervously. I could feel a smile being directed my way. My whole body felt flustered and warm. I could feel warm and kind feelings in my direction. It was a nice and comfortable feeling, one that made me very relaxed.

"So...uh... how'd you get down here? Where am I?"

There was silence for a moment; she must have been deep in thought. "You're just past the boarder to the Land of Keys. You've fallen into one of our cave trap systems. We have a lot of these around the boarder. They're periodically checked for any intruders who might have fallen in."

"I-I'm not trying to intrude," I protested. "I'm here on business, I mean, I was, but uhhh... I kind of got lost from my group, then lost in general." Suddenly my mind flashed to Sasuke. "Did somebody come here yesterday?"

She shook her head, then stopped, reconsidering. "Normally our checks are scheduled. Today is the official "check", but sometimes when we get suspicious, somebody will check at any time. May I ask why?"

"Well, you see..." I didn't know if I should tell her about Sasuke. What if he hadn't been taken, and in fact, just gotten out of the cave by himself? Then if I told her he was here what would she do? My head was spinning. "You see...I uh, I don't feel so good."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"I said I don't feel-" It took me a moment to realize that she wasn't asking me, that she wasn't wondering what I said, she was apologizing.

"Please trust me," she said quickly, as if panicked. She scooted forward and caught my head as my body lunged towards the ground. Her hand were cool on my forehead as she stroked it. "This will just put you to sleep temporarily, I'm just trying to help. I'm going to get you out of this cave. I'm sorry, I won't hurt you, please trust me." She was rushing her words, trying to get it through to me as I drifted off to sleep. I could only feel how cool and wonderful her fingers felt against my burning forehead. And then panic that I couldn't control my body. I was telling myself to wake up, but at the same time I wasn't listening. What was happening to me? How could she do this to me? I wondered, wondered, wondered if I could trust her.


End file.
